a little suffering is good for the soul
by the milliner's rook
Summary: If there are stupider ways to get courted, Karin can't think of them.


Prompt: band-aid.

* * *

Being the daughter of a doctor had its perks. It had its downsides too, but Karin chose to ignore that. She had her own stock of band-aids after all, which was always useful when a certain taichou with injuries came knocking on her window, when she least expected it. It didn't even have to be her window these days.

And to think, it had started off as a joke, to begin with.

"This is pointless." Toushirou told her the first time it happened, and without thinking, she'd immediately fished out the reserve she had with her, told him to sit still, and wait for her to apply the bandage. His mouth set into that familiar frown and had become even more prominent because the plasters were strawberry themed.

"Yeah, well, you look cuter this way." Deadpanning, Karin merely gives him a _look._ Then she flicked his shoulder, opting to not punch his shoulder instead.

It wasn't as if she was a nurse now, was it?

She had the outfit, sure, and she worked part-time at the old goat's clinic when she had nothing else to do, but that still didn't mean that she had medical prowess.

"They really do nothing?" He asks, watching her closely, and now she's really tempted to smack him.

"They give me a peace of mind, that's what they do." Karin snaps, unable to ignore the flare of heat that spreads in her chest, the quickening of her heartbeat. "What would you prefer? That I kiss it better?"

"Would you?" His voice is lower than it normally is, and Karin kind of hates herself for noticing this, for being so accustomed to the cadence of his voices. It sounds as if he's intrigued by the idea, tempted even.

He's teasing her. Karin knows he's teasing her, ever since she discovered his wicked sense of humour, and _that_ was embarrassing and awesome to this day. Not that she'd ever admit it.

But still she can't bring herself to speak for a moment, blinking rapidly and drawing back instead.

"Ten thousand plasters." She says stupidly, her mind completely blank. Karin's _definitely not_ thinking about this isn't how it was ever supposed to happen. Not like this. Definitely not.

It's gotten to an art form that Karin is able to ignore the flush that crawls over her cheeks.

"That's my price." Dusting herself off, Karin mutters, and stands. "You take care now."

It's not as if she expects him to follow through.

Ten thousand is a big number, after all.

* * *

"You're an idiot." Karin tells him, rolling her eyes at him, as the number of plasters slowly increases to one hundred. "You're being stupid and reckless, and if you really want me to put you in hospital, all you have to do is _ask._"

"That depends." Toushirou retorts. "Would plasters still be involved?"

"I've broken legs before." Karin warns him with a glower. She's not properly angry, not yet, but she'd like to think that's what her reddening cheeks are telling him. That she's about to blow a gasket, and it's only because they're best friends that she hasn't yet. "You can ask Chad. I have a mean kick."

He nods seriously.

"A _very_ mean kick."

* * *

Okay. She hasn't broken legs before, but she's seriously tempted.

* * *

Her revenge comes in the form of more embarrassing plasters to stick on his injuries. There's a Pikachu on his cheek, a Marill on his wrist, Katsuragi Keima and Elsie on his shoulder. She tries different colours. Different fruits. Cheesy mottos. Thug themed plasters. Ones that glow in the dark.

Still the number increases.

* * *

Her high school experience mainly goes like this: Karin spends her time looking outside windows and falling asleep.

Sometimes she senses Hollows.

Other times, she senses the Hollow and senses them vanish into nothing.

More often than not, there's a floating _shinigami_ at the window peering at her and waiting patiently for class to end. Or: he stumbles into class, claiming that he tripped down some stairs, and doesn't require proper medical attention, but Karin alone is fully aware that just means that _she_ is the one that has to take of him. Karin buries her head in her hands and tries not to scream. Or cry.

Not that she minds. Much.

* * *

"Admit it; you just wanted to see me in the nurse's outfit all along." Karin smirks, hands on her hips as Toushirou stands before her, the sky strewn with clouds. "You're just lucky enough to see me in work hours."

He shrugs, mouth pressed into a thin line. His hair is stupidly messy, like he's been running and the wind has been having the time of its life playing with it. Karin wants to touch his fluffy windswept hair.

"Okay. So, are you hurt?" She asks instead, being matter-of-fact about the situation.

He smirks.

"No."

"So why are you here?"

He raises his eyebrow. "Do I need to reason to see you?"

"Maybe." Somewhere along the way, she stopped counting how many band-aids it's been. "Usually you're hurt, is all."

The expression on his face softens. Like it's warmer than usual, dusted pink slightly. "Not today."

"Oh?" Her head tilts to the side, eyes widening slightly as he approaches her. "That's good to hear."

"I realized something." He continues, and Karin's breath catches, like she's realized something that she can't understand yet, the words are there, but not connected in her mind, and her train of thought is fizzling into nothing as the distance between them narrows.

"Which is?" She doesn't mean to squeak. She _doesn't._ But the distance between their mouths is distancing and decreasing and she can feel his warm breath.

"I don't need a reason to get hurt just to kiss you." He drawls, mouth slanting over hers and kissing her before she gets the chance to react. She ends up snickering, and it's _weird_ and it's _awesome_, and she feels like pulling his hair and tugging him forward and kissing him _again_, but instead she leans back, settling her hands on his shoulders, sarcastic to the core, and grins goofily at him.

"Well, yeah, any idiot could have told you _that_."


End file.
